Two Days of Rest for the Wicked
It's week 9. I AM OFFICIALLY OVER HALF-WAY THROUGH MY TRAINING PLAN, PEOPLE. This makes me proud (I've run my longest distance ever, 16.5 miles), scared (this means the marathon is looming, plus I still have to run 20+miles training runs to do), confused and annoyed (how can I be gaining weight? yeah, I know I'm thin but still, GAINING?!) and obsessed and TIRED.
It's hard to imagine that I could be more excited that tomorrow is a "Rest Day" in my marathon training plan.
That means NO running!!! (Also, for me, no exercise beyond walking). The plan I'm following allocates two rest days a week.
It's also hard for me to imagine that when Chad and I started our 16-week training plan, we thought that I would resist taking rest days and that we would end up fighting about that.
Well, we've certainly had our fights in the last 5 weeks, but not about me skipping rest days.
Ah, it seems so quaint that we worried about this back in the halycon days of June 2017, BMT (Before Marathon Training). Back when I used to run (or workout) nearly every damn day and couldn't imagine how I would burn off all those chips and wine without doing so.
But that was back before I understood that a 2.5-hr plus run, while maybe not actually contributing that significantly to one's overall weekly running time (I'm a little stunned that by the end of Week 8 I've only added an hour of running) or calorie expenditure, is pretty damn intense. I'm tired, and a little sore. I now understand that I need/want a day not to run (and bitch about why I can't drink and eat more without gaining weight).
As I understand it, the official reason for a rest day is to give your muscles, and your body overall, a chance to recover. It also supposedly helps reduce the chance of injury, as it would really suck to never even make it to the marathon because you pulled (or worse) something during training.
I've been extremely lucky when it comes to injuries, and even just general discomfort, when it comes to running. My worst and most consistent problems have been blisters. I thought I was going to lose a toenail last year, but luckily, this year they seemed to have toughened up.
My biggest "injuries" came simply from falling a few weeks ago. No, there's no exciting story there...I didn't trip over a dead body (human or animal) or a rival runner or speedwalker that I pushed out of my way. It was broad daylight. I was just a broad that tripped on the sidewalk. I was both relieved and annoyed that no one noticed or came to my rescue.
Luckily my fall from grace happened on the way back home, so I had no choice but to finish running the mile and half to home. I couldn't give up on my run. I was scrapped up and a little bloody, but my biggest problem was a wrenched shoulder muscle that hurt when I coughed or luaghed. It does still hurt when I flip over in bed or have to pull Oscar out from under the porch.
Injuries and recovery aside, I also like my rest days so I have more time to read about running. I have never felt so much like a librarian...I just want to read everything about running. Especially if it's on the interwebs. Usually, I take a "let's just give it a whirl and see what happens and claim that I'm a amateur" approach to my hobbies, so this obsession and quest for knowledge is a new feeling. Okay, I may feel a little more like a cult member than a librarian.
I do need to be careful that my "rest and recovery" days don't lead to me actually needing to be in recovery. It's so tempting to think "Hey, I don't have to run tomorrow and I've earned it so why NOT have more bourbon?"
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| Actually, I totally know what to do. Eat. Drink. Bitch. Repeat. |
It's hard to imagine that I could be more excited that tomorrow is a "Rest Day" in my marathon training plan.
That means NO running!!! (Also, for me, no exercise beyond walking). The plan I'm following allocates two rest days a week.
It's also hard for me to imagine that when Chad and I started our 16-week training plan, we thought that I would resist taking rest days and that we would end up fighting about that.
Well, we've certainly had our fights in the last 5 weeks, but not about me skipping rest days.
Ah, it seems so quaint that we worried about this back in the halycon days of June 2017, BMT (Before Marathon Training). Back when I used to run (or workout) nearly every damn day and couldn't imagine how I would burn off all those chips and wine without doing so.
But that was back before I understood that a 2.5-hr plus run, while maybe not actually contributing that significantly to one's overall weekly running time (I'm a little stunned that by the end of Week 8 I've only added an hour of running) or calorie expenditure, is pretty damn intense. I'm tired, and a little sore. I now understand that I need/want a day not to run (and bitch about why I can't drink and eat more without gaining weight).
As I understand it, the official reason for a rest day is to give your muscles, and your body overall, a chance to recover. It also supposedly helps reduce the chance of injury, as it would really suck to never even make it to the marathon because you pulled (or worse) something during training.
I've been extremely lucky when it comes to injuries, and even just general discomfort, when it comes to running. My worst and most consistent problems have been blisters. I thought I was going to lose a toenail last year, but luckily, this year they seemed to have toughened up.
My biggest "injuries" came simply from falling a few weeks ago. No, there's no exciting story there...I didn't trip over a dead body (human or animal) or a rival runner or speedwalker that I pushed out of my way. It was broad daylight. I was just a broad that tripped on the sidewalk. I was both relieved and annoyed that no one noticed or came to my rescue.
Luckily my fall from grace happened on the way back home, so I had no choice but to finish running the mile and half to home. I couldn't give up on my run. I was scrapped up and a little bloody, but my biggest problem was a wrenched shoulder muscle that hurt when I coughed or luaghed. It does still hurt when I flip over in bed or have to pull Oscar out from under the porch.
Injuries and recovery aside, I also like my rest days so I have more time to read about running. I have never felt so much like a librarian...I just want to read everything about running. Especially if it's on the interwebs. Usually, I take a "let's just give it a whirl and see what happens and claim that I'm a amateur" approach to my hobbies, so this obsession and quest for knowledge is a new feeling. Okay, I may feel a little more like a cult member than a librarian.
I do need to be careful that my "rest and recovery" days don't lead to me actually needing to be in recovery. It's so tempting to think "Hey, I don't have to run tomorrow and I've earned it so why NOT have more bourbon?"
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